The growing digitalization of European cities has been the catalyst for a new type of urbanism, deeply influenced by the globalized business model that emanates from the “culture of. This fact, driven by new technologies, is reconfiguring consumption patterns and social organization in urban environments — along with platforms such as Deliveroo, Uber and — they have become key players in the transformation of cities, consolidating their dominance over labor, economic and social spheres.
We observe how Instagram gradually conditions the way we imagine the city through infinite layers of filters, while applications like Tinder or Grindr reorganize the way we meet others. Google becomes the engine par excellence to move around the city and organize it according to digital reputation criteria; while HBO reconfigures the way in which In terms of mobility and consumption, platforms such as Uber, Cabify, Deliveroo or Glovo determine how we move and eat, and Airbnb fuels more ephemeral ways of inhabiting the city. or they keep us hooked for hours on the online sale of products that we do not want, that in many cases do not have the value of the time we dedicate to them, and that leave behind altruistic practices such as transfer or gift (does anyone remember? ). adulterates our musical tastes through opaque algorithms that end up cutting off the one we once enjoyed, while Dice o monopolize nightlife. Finally, it redefines the act of buying, monopolizing an online purchasing system that subordinates other companies, depredates urban and agricultural land for its logistics corridors and surpasses itself as the first courier company while Microsoft or Apple mediate how we work and connect in this new digital ecosystem.
The platformization of the city implies a complete reconfiguration of urban life through technological intermediation
in the book The city of platforms. Digital transformation and social reorganization in urban capitalism (2024)—published with Icaria—we seek to shed light on these key questions around the impact and transformation of digital platforms in our cities. Thus, the platformization of the city implies a complete reconfiguration of urban life through technological intermediation. This new relational—virtual—dimension is causing urban environments to begin to experience profound alterations not only in the way in which citizens work, move, consume and relate, but also in the way the urban is read. Because digital platforms not only mediate economic transactions, but also reconfigure the collective imagination of the city. The or Netflix are not just images, but narratives that shape how we perceive and experience the city, influencing our consumption and lifestyle decisions.
Platform capitalism and new forms of work
One of the most profound changes that the platformization It is the transformation of work dynamics. The rise of digital and remote work, driven by platforms such as Upwork or LinkedIn, has allowed the creation of new types of flexible work, but has also exacerbated (disaggregated resumes, screened and thrown in the trash by the algorithm of these applications before reaching to human resources departments). We thus see how digital nomad workers or those who perform micro tasks for platforms such as Uber Eats are trapped in a digital economy that maximizes the extraction of value through labor flexibility, without the traditional protections of formal employment.
Platforms like Airbnb allow the middle and upper classes to generate additional income by subletting second and third properties in the short-term illegal market, while workers on the periphery are relegated to delivery and transportation tasks.
This phenomenon is closely linked to that “, where control over the data of workers and users is used to optimize their productivity and behavior. In this new paradigm, flexible and digital work is largely mediated by platforms that not only regulate working conditions, but also control the urban infrastructure in which they operate. The algorithms that manage these platforms dictate the routes of the delivery people, the value of the work, and the terms of interaction between the worker and the city.
Inequality and urban segregation in the platform city
The platformization It has also reinforced inequality in cities, exacerbating socioeconomic and spatial divisions. In digitized cities, platforms like Airbnb allow the middle and upper classes to generate additional income by subletting second and third properties in the illegal short-term market, while workers on the periphery are relegated to delivery and transportation tasks. , as happens with Uber or Deliveroo. This polarization reinforces new forms of spatial segregation, where certain sectors of the city become centers of real estate rentier surplus value, while others become areas of pockets of precarious, informal and subaltern workers.
The future of our cities will depend on our ability to regulate and democratize access to data and technologies
This platformization It does not only occur in the streets and spaces of the city, but also extends to urban planning, where decisions about land use and infrastructure are increasingly dictated by the needs of technological platforms. Amazon, for example, has developed logistics corridors on the outskirts of cities to optimize its delivery operations, while local businesses and traditional forms of community life are threatened by this new city model focused on digital consumption.
In short, we are facing a city on demandmediated by monopolistic and private digital platforms, so the future of our cities will depend on our ability to regulate and democratize access to data and technologies, as well as progressively deplatform parts of our daily lives so that they cease to be mere spaces of value extraction for large technology corporations. The book is an invitation to critically reflect on these issues, confront the direction our cities are taking and imagine more inclusive, equitable and sustainable alternatives in the digital age.
